Kenshi Yonezu’s new single was released digitally on August 12―ahead of the CD release which is set for September 11. It serves as the main theme for the TBS Sunday drama No Side Game for which it has drawn a great deal of attention. The track has raked in 165,000 downloads on Oricon’s digital single ranking (for August 26) and has taken the No. 1 spot on Billboard Japan’s download song charts with 172,000 downloads, making it the song with the most number of downloads in the first week in 2019.

New details have been released on Uma to Shika, including the unveiling of the CD cover art, and the different editions it will be released in.

As with most of Yonezu’s releases, the cover art of the new single was illustrated by the singer-songwriter himself. It will be released in three editions: the “No Side Edition,” “Video Edition,” and “Regular Edition.”

The “No Side Edition” comes in pure white packing, decorated in silver leaf and manufactured in a way so that it feels like leather. The disc is printed with a picture label on it. The whistle-shaped pendant is made from metal and coated in a white matte while the string is white leather. And the whistle isn’t just for show―it actually works too. The illustration itself is a mix of of a horse (uma) and deer (shika) which is the name of the single.

The “Video Edition” opens up like a book to reveal a CD and DVD both with picture labels on them. The DVD features a teaser of 11 songs covering 18-minutes taken from Kenshi Yonezu’s “Sekisui ga Opal ni Naru Koro” 2019 tour. It also includes the music video for Umi no Yuurei.

All three editions come with application cards for a chance to get pre-sale tickets to Kenshi Yonezu’s “HYPE” tour which will begin in February 2020 and take him to 10 cities for 20 shows. Pre-sale sign-up ends on Sunday September 15.

When bought at select stores, all CDs will come with a special leather wristband. These are available on a first-come, first-served basis at each store.

The single’s “No Side” and “Video” editions are both limited-edition, so you’ll want to put your orders in quick if you want a copy.

It has been announced that Kenshi Yonezu will head on a nationwide arena tour in Japan next year. The title of the tour is “Kenshi Yonezu 2020 TOUR / HYPE” and it will take place from February to April where he will hit up 10 arena venues for 20 performances, making it his biggest tour to date.

To help promote the tour, digital signboards at train stations in cities across Japan where the tour is set to take place suddenly began displaying information about the tour on August 12. In each city, the signboards simply displayed the name of the tour as well as the date and venue of that city which Yonezu will perform at. All of this was without any other prior announcements; news about the tour spread online by people posting photos of the signs in their city, effectively helping to spread the “hype.”

Application cards for pre-sale tickets to the tour will be available on first press copies of Yonezu’s upcoming new single Uma to Shika (“Horse and Deer”) which will be released on September 11, 2019. The ticket window for ordering pre-sale tickets will run from September 10 to at 10:00am (JST) to September 15 at 11:59pm (JST). These will be available with all first press copies of both regular and limited editions.

Kenshi Yonezu is set to electrify fans once more on his “HYPE” tour, his first in almost a year.

Since Kenshi Yonezu released his single Lemon in March last year, it has gone on to enjoy huge success, reaching numerous milestones.

The song was written as the main theme for the TBS drama Unnatural which aired in January 2018. Its music video was released the following month and garnered huge views in an instant, and after just 475 days it had reached over 400 million. It was also the first Japanese music video to gain 300 million. Lemon has also sold over 300 million copies. It is the first song to rank three times in a row on Billboard JAPAN Hot 100: for both halves of 2018 and the first half of 2019.

Photo by Tomokazu Yamada

Speaking of its continued success, Yonezu comments: “I am thankful. It exceeded my expectations a long time ago, but I’ve been very interested to see just how far it will go. I’m mostly unaware of my own songs. I’d like it to continue to be loved by people.”

As a show of gratitude to how much Lemon has resonated with people, the CD cover art will be displayed permanently at the Otsuka Museum of Art in Tokushima in the form of a ceramic tile from July 30.

Touban, or “ceramic tiles,” don’t lose their colour or deteriorate and so can keep their colour and shape for up to 2,000 years.

It was revealed earlier this month that Kenshi Yonezu’s song Lemon had reached number one on Billboard JAPAN, and now it has set yet another milestone as its music video broke 400 million views on June 16.

Kenshi Yonezu – “Lemon” Music Video

Lemon was written as the main theme for the TBS drama Unnatural which aired in January 2018. Its music video was released the following month and garnered huge views in an instant, and after just 475 days it has reached over 400 million. It was also the first Japanese music video to gain 300 million.

Lemon has also sold over 300 million copies. It is the first song to rank three times in a row on Billboard JAPAN Hot 100: for both halves of 2018 and the first half of 2019.

Photo by Tomokazu Yamada

Yonezu’s other music videos have also garnered huge views: Uchiage Hanabi is on 281 million, Aine Kuraine is on 202 million―the list goes on. He boasts seven music videos that have over 100 million views: the aforementioned three, LOSER, orion, Peace Sign and Haiiro to Ao (+Masaki Suda).

The singer-songwriter is the number one most subscribed to Japanese artist on YouTube with over 3.8 million subscribers and 1.8 billion views.

Kenshi Yonezu’s newest single Umi no Yuurei was released just last Monday and clocked in at number one on both Oricon’s Weekly Digital Singles for June 17 as well as on Billboard JAPAN’s “Download Songs.” It has now been revealed that the track has dominated not only the daily charts but the weekly charts too for a 2019 release.

The song’s music video hit 10 million views on YouTube in just over 4 days, Yonezu’s fastest video to do so. It has now amounted over 20 million views.

ⒸDaisuke Igarashi / Shogakukan

On its first day of release it hit number one on 26 music platforms and enjoyed 51,967 downloads according to Oricon. A week later for Oricon’s Weekly Digital Single charts, it amounted 126,715 downloads, shooting it up to top place for the weekly charts. These numbers make Umi no Yuurei the song with the most downloads after a week for a 2019 release as of today.

This is Yonezu’s 4th song to make it to number one on Oricon’s Digital Charts since December 11, 2017 following the success of LOSER, Lemon and Flamingo.

Photo by Tomokazu Yamada

Not only did Umi no Yuurei top Billboard JAPAN’s “Download Songs” but the Japan Hot 100 too. Its ability to reach number one on the charts despite not yet having a CD release is proof of its popularity.

Umi no Yuurei will be used as the main theme for the upcoming Japanese animated movie Children of the Sea.

The results for the top songs and artists for the first half of 2019 on Billboard JAPAN have been announced.  This includes those between November 26, 2018 to May 26, 2019.

Taking the top spot on the Billboard JAPAN Hot 100 is Kenshi Yonezu’s Lemon for the second year in a row, making him the first artist to reach number one on the chart for two consecutive years. At number two is Aimyon with Marigold and in third place, DA DUMP with U.S.A..

Crowing the Billboard JAPAN Hot Albums is Gen Hoshino’s POP VIRUS which sold 281,039 copies in its first week. Thanks to continued promotion in the media the record has enjoyed long sales. It is also the most downloaded and searched album for the ranking. At number two is ONE OK ROCK with Eye of the Storm and at number three is Nogizaka46 with Ima ga Omoide ni Naru Made.

The number one for Billboard JAPAN’s Top Artists is AImyon. She has an astounding eight songs on the JAPAN Hot 100 and three titles in JAPAN Hot Albums.

Who will reign in the second half of 2019?

Kenshi Yonezu’s new song Umi no Yuurei, which is the main theme for the upcoming animated film adaptation of Children of the Sea, was released on Monday for digital download and on streaming platforms. It has now been announced that an exclusive music video featuring Yonezu himself will be available at JOYSOUND karaoke branches across Japan for a limited time from June 7 to August 6.

JOYSOUND is also offering special karaoke booths at six branches from June 7 to July 31 made in collaboration with the film. These rooms will plunge customers into an immersive experience that showcases the ocean in a 360℃ view. Look forward to singing Umi no Yuurei while watching the gorgeous music video.

A special talk between Kenshi Yonezu and Daisuke Igarashi, the author of the original Children of the Sea manga series, was also posted on Monday to celebrate the film’s release.

Kenshi Yonezu’s new song Umi no Yuurei, which is the main theme for the upcoming animated film adaptation of Children of the Sea, was released today for digital download and on streaming platforms. An animated music video for the song was released last week and as of today has already amounted over 12 million views.

ⒸDaisuke Igarashi / Shogakukan

The single’s digital CD cover is illustrated by Daisuke Igarashi, the author of the seinen manga series Children of the Sea. Up to now, Yonezu’s jackets have been illustrated by Yonezu himself.

To celebrate the release of the film, a special website has gone live featuring a talk between Yonezu and Igarashi in Japanese.

Photo by Yoshiharu Ōta

The talk features several photographs of Yonezu and Igarashi at Enoshima Aquarium. The two of them give their personal thoughts on Children of the Sea as well as backstory to the recording process of the main theme by Yonezu. It is an insight not just for fans of the film and song but for creators too.

Photo by Yoshiharu Ōta

Children of the Sea will be released in Japan on June 7, 2019.

©Daisuke Igarashi / Shogakukan / “Children of the Sea” Production Committee

Kenshi Yonezu will release his new digital single Umi no Yuurei on June 3. The song will be used as the main theme for the upcoming animated film Children of the Sea which is set to hit Japanese cinemas on June 7.

Until now, the song could previously only be heard in the film’s trailer. 100 lucky people were also invited to an event for the film where they enjoyed an early screening of the song’s official music video.

Fans of Yonezu and those looking forward to the forthcoming film will be pleased to hear that the music video has now been posted onto the singer’s official YouTube channel.

The music video contains scenes from the movie itself. Those who were able to attend the premiere of the music video were plunged into a full oceanic experience as they watched it aboard a boat.

The boat’s bottom floor was made to look like the deep sea. Dark and bubbly underwater sounds echoed through the vessel while an exhibition of sea creatures were put on display such as starfish and jellyfish. The display was made in collaboration with Enoshima Aquarium. There was also a huge picture of the Umi no Yuurei CD cover in the centre of the room. Originally illustrated by manga author Daisuke Igarashi, the picture spanned 1.2m on each side. Dim lights also filtered throughout the area to heighten that sense of being below the sea.

The first floor was made in the image of a beach. Heard up here were the sounds of waves. The huge visual pictured above is taken from Children of the Sea. There were also lit-up panels featuring scenes in the movie. There was also a video of whales running too.

Finally, up on the second floor, attendees were able to stand atop the deck which was dubbed the “Sea Sky.” It was here the music video was projected onto the boat’s mast.

This unique experience makes it the first time in Japan a music video was debuted on the ocean surface. It wasn’t merely a viewing―it was a full body experience. The event was praised as making people feel as if they had become part of the music video.

In the animated music video, we get another peek at STUDIO4℃’s gorgeously detailed environments and sea life.

ⒸDaisuke Igarashi / Shogakukan

The CD cover for the single was also illustrated by Daisuke Igarashi.

Photo by Tomokazu Yamada

Umi no Yuurei will be released next Monday. Until then, be sure to check out the music video.

©Daisuke Igarashi / Shogakukan / “Children of the Sea” Production Committee

SACRA MUSIC―a music label under Sony Music Labels―held a music event entitled SACRA MUSIC FES.2019 -NEW GENERATION- at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on Saturday May 18 and Sunday May 19. This non-stop live show housed a 360° stage in the centre of the venue on which artists signed to the label dazzled a total of 12,000 fans across the weekend.

This was the first live event of its kind by SACRA MUSIC. The show’s subtitle “New Generation” refers to artists both signed to the label and the new generation of artists leading the music scene into the future. The line-up feature a diverse array of talent and genres spanning voice actors to rock bands, idols, virtual YouTubers and more.

The line-up for both days included ASCA, Ayano Mashiro, =LOVE, Luna Kaguya, GARNiDELiA, ClariS, Soma Saito, SawanoHiroyuki[nZk], Sangatsu no Phantasia, Spira Spica, TrySail, halca, PENGUIN RESEARCH, and ReoNa. A live band of skilled musicians dubbed the “SACRA BAND” also took to the stage to aid in performing various hits songs and anime songs. Virtual YouTuber Luna Kaguya performed as an opener, and EGOIST also made a surprise performance on screen, fusing the 2D world with the 3D world.

Several special collaborations also took place throughout the festival where artists banded together to perform covers as well as perform each others’ songs. This included ClariS x TrySail, Mikiha (Spira Spica) x halca, Soma Saito x Yoji Ikuta & Shota Horie (PENGUIN RESEARCH), GARNiDELiA x Ayano Mashiro, and ASCA x ReoNa.

At the end of the first night, Eir Aoi appeared as a secret guest to perform three songs including her first single Ryuusei. At the end of the second night, LiSA was the secret guest, who performed several songs including her latest number Gurenge. The two also came together to sing each of their respective hits IGNITE and Rising Hope.

A teaser video was also shown for two new SACRA MUSIC projects titled BATON=RELAY and Tenka Soul. The concerts are only set to continue growing bigger and better.

It has been revealed that Kenshi Yonezu’s new song Umi no Yuurei―which is the main theme song for the upcoming animated film Children of the Sea, set for release on June 7―will be released as a digital single on June 3.

Photo by Tomokazu Yamada

In the run up to the release, people can sign up to be invited to a special pre-screening of the music video in Tokyo on May 27 before it is officially released.

©Daisuke Igarashi / Shogakukan

The single’s digital CD cover is illustrated by Daisuke Igarashi, the author of Children of the Sea. Up to now, Yonezu’s jackets have been illustrated by Yonezu himself.

“Children of the Sea” Trailer

In the film’s trailer released earlier this month, we get a small listen of the theme song with its melancholic yet beautiful melody.

©Daisuke Igarashi / Shogakukan / “Children of the Sea” Production Committee

Masaki Suda just released his new song Machigai Sagashi digitally on May 14, 2019.

The CD cover for the digital single has also been released.

Japanese singer-songwriter and record producer Kenshi Yonezu wrote the lyrics for, arranged and produced the track. The song is used as the main theme song for the Kansai Telecasting Corporation and Fuji TV drama series Perfect World.

The song and the drama series have enjoyed huge popularity on Japanese social media with related words having trended on Twitter.